SYDNEY : Swashbuckling opener Travis Head eclipsed talismanic Steve Smith to become the fastest to hammer 3,000 ODI runs on Saturday, following his sizzling exploits in the third ODI at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG).

After two silent outings in Perth and Adelaide, Head exploded in Sydney on a hard Sydney strip with a few cracks. At the SCG, historically a high-scoring venue, Head unleashed a barrage of belligerent strokes from his loaded arsenal. In his 76th innings, Head completed the 3000-run mark in ODIs by pushing the ball towards mid-off for a quick single.

The 31-year-old took three fewer innings than Smith’s 79 to become the fastest Australian to reach the milestone. ‘Picasso in Pyjamas’ Michael Bevan and former skipper George Bailey have slipped to the third spot, having achieved the feat in 80 innings each. In terms of the number of balls faced, Head took 2,839 deliveries, the fourth fewest behind Glenn Maxwell (2440), Jos Buttler (2533) and Jason Roy (2820).

Head drew the first blood by flicking Mohammed Siraj’s curling ball to find the first boundary of the day in the third over. He continued to torment Siraj in his next over, picking up two boundaries with precision and then pulled Prasidh Krishna for a four to flaunt his rich form.

In the final over of the powerplay, Head went after Siraj and carved the ball over the covers for a four. However, it was the Indian mainstay who had the last laugh after Head failed to control his late cut on the next ball and dispatched it straight into the hands of Prasidh Krishna, stationed at backward point. This was the ninth instance of Siraj dismissing Head in 19 innings across all formats.

Head’s promising knock came to a bitter end on 29(25), his highest in the three-match series. In 79 matches, Head now boasts 3,007 runs averaging 43.57, while striking at 105.73. (ANI)